Metroid Samus Returns - First playthrough log part 1

This is a re-imagining of Metroid II: Return of Samus, the 2nd game in the series. That game was good, but it was very limited by the Game Boy's technical limitations. It was also very linear compared to all the other 2D Metroids, and had more of a creepy atmospheric vibe.

Right away, I'm loving how snappy and easy these aiming controls are. This is feels like the perfect modernization of Samus's moveset.

I was worried you weren't gonna be able to aim diagonally while running around, but you can do that easily, as well as aim straight up while running (which you couldn't do in any other Metroid game besides 2). And the free-aim-while standing thing is just an optional additional control feature, it doesn't take away from any of the usual controls.

oh, I have missiles right from the start.

And... yep, you have a wall jump right from the start. it feels exactly like it did in SM.

Surface

This atmosphere is amazing... like it's basically the Metroid Prime graphical style but in 240p.

Woah... that 3d pan over to that ominous looking gate... one of the things on it lit up. Dunno what this is about right now.

I like how the cutscenes and gameplay all transition seemlessly... as well as the transitions between areas. It feels like this game properly keeps the same "1 loading zone for the entire game" structure that the original Metroid 2 had.

hmm... I guess these are the grey doors... they're like the yellow doors, and flash yellow when you shoot them, but don't stay yellow enough for you to open them.

I guess the Scan Pulse replaces the usual map feature in this game... and you can easily just not only get to see places you've been to if you want it to be harder to 100%.

lol I didn't need scan pulse to find this breakable wall that's required to find to progress.

That first time seeing a metroid evolve to its 2nd form... that animation was just perfect.

Oh wow... there's Map Pins just like in BotW... I'm just now checking out all the pause menu features.

The Charge Beam lets you open those grey doors and make them stay yellow... and that opens up a shortcut back to the poison water statue area... activating it with the one dead Metroid makes the poison water go down... I like how it's still the exact same sort of level structure as the original Metroid 2, right down to the "backtrack to where the poison water was after killing all the Metroids in the area" thing... These gate things are a very non-obtrusive way to add some story to the game without removing anything.

Also I never fell into that poison water, and when I first passed by this gate it kinda gave me the feeling that these were just some random shallow poison puddles with nothing else going on here... but now that I look more closely at the background scenery, you can tell without dropping down there that there's a path below, by how the background of that pit goes far into the distance and you can see that it's a far bigger drop than just a small puddle.

Now I'm farther below ground... the atmosphere change is very noticeable...

I dunno what this Chozo statue is about.

Finding the right way to go is getting trickier now... I just found out there are spider ball-only walls that are too slippery to wall jump on.

Another Chozo-looking thing... all of these Chozo places have something in common... a floor pad that Samus stands on which changes the camera to a more 3d up close perspective and gives you a save/warp/refill feature or an unlock or something.

Oh it's an elevator... The art style kinda gives it this feel that's like a blend of the 2d metroid elevators and the round Metroid Prime elevators.

Area 1

Now we're officially out of the "Surface" section. We're now deep underground.

Just noticed the poison water falling all around Samus in the background... This atmosphere is CRAZY good.

This next poison-lowering gate requires 4 dead Metroids.

Now I'm in a cave with unpoisoned water.

There's this red version of those grey-yellow doors... now a missile shot isn't enough to make it stay yellow.

Two ways to go... I took the upper path first and got to this temple-looking area.

There's a save point here though... so what's the bottom path? Still don't know what those green organic-looking doors are about.

wtf... the lower path has a save point and continues on as well... I'm paralyzed by choice! Both paths head into the top and bottom of this ruined temple... one of the bottom paths went up towards the bombs...

wow... lmao @ how easy bomb jumping is in this game... I tried it 3 times, and already have a 100% success rate at it.
Also again I have to mention how quick and snappy these controls are... Even turning into a morphball is quicker than ever, especially if you use the touch screen.

So far, I really prefer not using the Scan Pulse... for moments like these where you're stuck and have to bomb around everywhere looking for where to go... I don't want those moments to be removed from the game.

May as well backtrack around to the top path with bombs... Oh wait, can't backtrack yet... oh yeah I have to find 4 metroids to kill and go back anyway.

Found another elevator... or no, a teleport station actually... These weren't in M2 but I think the elevators might've been? I forget.

So yeah I can backtrack through Area 1 and Surface again if I want. nah... let's wait until I get stuck.

Got the Ice beam... Found a hidden morphball tunnel here, but can't get passed this blue spikey rocks.

So many ways to go now... only 10 map pins available to use... I didn't think I'd be using these as much as I am...

I ended up finding the Spider Ball soon after that.

More unique background scenery...

Found 3 of the 4 metroids I need in this swampy looking area.

Now I'm a bit stuck and tempted to use scan pulse... This one path where you need to use ice beam on some jumping enemies to get across... I can't figure out how to get up to that morphball path at the end (slippery walls everywhere).

... also I ran out of missiles... this is a good excuse to backtrack all the way to the beginning and get stuff that I missed.

Surface backtracking post-Spider Ball

As I was exploring back through Area 1, I found the first really hot part of the underground... the music changed to that Magmoor/Norfair theme instantly. obviously I need the Varia suit before I can go here.

The latter half of Area 1 was where I actually started dying a few times... up until there the game feels easy.

Deposited the 3 Metroids I found, then took the elevator back up to the Surface.

Used the spider ball to go WAY up to the top of the upper west cliff on the surface. and then it lead to a big gorge between two cliffs.

it lead to a save point and a path to the underground blocked by more of those small spiky rocks... oh I get it... those are the blocks that can only be destroyed by the baby Metroid. I remember this place from the end of the original Metroid 2.

And a couple other paths along another cliff to the west... all of them I can't get through yet.

Just noticed, missile tanks in this game only expand your missile capacity by 3, instead of 5...

Right now I'm at 57 missiles, 2 energy tanks.

okay... back to Area 1.

Area 1 continued

Putting those 3 metroids I had into the gate, made a mark appear on the map where the 4th one is...

Yeah, I was pretty sure that was it cuz I saw the larva shell there already, but thought I might've missed a new ability somewhere, but nope... getting up to that ledge basically requires you to keep jumping and shooting down to refreeze the enemy while breaking enough blocks above to be able to jump and grab the ledge... that's pretty tough, especially for a thing that is required to progress...

Lowered the poison water again... I like how that Metroid Prime Artifact Temple music plays whenever you do this.

Took the elevator down further into the subterranean cave, to Area 2.

Area 2

Need to kill 8 Metroids to lower the poison water again.

I'm kinda stuck on where to go now... just nothing but slippery walls I can't go up on...

Guess I'll stop here for now.

This game is better than I was expecting... It's very refreshing to actually get STUCK on the earliest parts of a Metroid game.

Update: added some of the screenshots from my Screenshots dump post to elaborate on my log notes here.